Constant rain in north Queensland of Australia has severely hampered the recovery efforts after tropical Cyclone Yasi and damage the morale of victims and volunteers, the head of Queensland's Flood Recovery Taskforce said on Friday.
Australian army Major General Mick Slater, who is in charge of the reconstruction of north Queensland following major floods and Yasi, said disaster zones were not being resurrected or attended to as quickly as first hoped due to bad weather.
"Immediately following the cyclone, the military, the emergency services and community volunteers from across the affected region came together and worked really well," Slater told Australia's national prime TV, Channel Nine's Today Show.
"But people are starting to feel fatigued and the lack of progress because of the continuing rain in some areas is starting to get people's spirits down," Slater said.
He said Prince William's arrival on the weekend in north Queensland, as part of his visit to the disaster affected areas in Australia, will suffice to reinvigorate the spirits of locals who are still suffering from the Queensland's worst disaster.
"Fortunately for some of those communities, they are going to get the very special royal visit this weekend and that's going to buoy their spirits no doubt," Slater said.
"But there's a long road ahead for many families."